MARSHALL — A proposal to build a 1-megawatt solar farm near Balaton took another step forward this week.

On Tuesday, Lyon County commissioners approved a conditional use permit for Balaton Solar, LLC to install solar panels on a site south of Balaton. It wasn’t the first time the proposed solar installation had been before the county board.

“This board permitted this project a number of years ago,” said Lyon County Planning and Zoning Administrator John Biren. However, enough time had passed that the first permit had expired, and the project would need a new one.

The proposed solar farm would be located on 140 acres of land near the intersection of 120th Street and Lyon County Road 63. The land for the solar farm is being leased from Mark Timmerman, Biren said.

On Nov. 9, the county planning commission held a hearing on a conditional use permit for the solar farm, Biren said. The planning commission was recommending a permit with several stipulations, including that the applicant controls weeds and keeps the property clear of trash, that the solar farm be removed from the property within one year of its discontinuation or decommissioning, and that a $25,000 escrow fund be established to help cover the costs of decommissioning the solar panels.

Another stipulation of the permit was that the solar farm, together with the zoning and administrator and Rock Lake Township, would review the condition of a nearby township road before and after construction. The purpose of the review would be to make sure the township road was still in pre-construction condition after the solar farm is built.

Commissioners voted to approve the conditional use permit.